In Pixar's Cars 3, the legendary racer who trains Lightning McQueen is Smokey.
Smokey is introduced as a former crew chief and mechanic connected to Doc Hudson's racing career. McQueen meets him in Thomasville, Georgia, after struggling to compete with the technologically advanced rookie Jackson Storm.
Smokey helps McQueen recover his confidence and teaches him to use experience creatively rather than trying to imitate a newer generation of racers. The Thomasville training sequence also reveals more about Doc's history and the racing community that shaped him.
Smokey is not McQueen's modern sponsor Sterling, his young trainer Cruz Ramirez, or his former mentor Doc Hudson. Cruz eventually becomes an important racer herself, while Smokey serves mainly as the veteran who explains Doc's past and guides McQueen's development.